Aesthetics Flows Guide

The Aesthetics Flows Guide (pdf) provides a common framework for requesting, designing, or reviewing flow-aesthetics studies, and reviews specific methods for conducting those studies in a hydropower licensing or water adjudication proceedings to protect aesthetics values of rivers.

Dam Effects

Visit this website to learn about the effects of dams on rivers and the environment. It also explains how dams and hydropower projects can be operated differently to reduce their adverse impacts.

Hydropower Licensing Guide

The Hydropower Licensing Guide first published in 2005 has been updated. The update includes addition of 2005 EPAct Hearing provisions under the Integrated Licensing Process as well as reorganization of Appendices.

Conservation Groups and members of the Hydropower Reform Coalition today released an updated economics report by Rocky Mountain Econometrics (RME) on the proposed re-generation of power at Enloe Dam on the Similkameen River.

On October 16, FERC revoked the license for East Juliette hydroelectric project on the Ocmulgee River in Georgia due to its repeated failure to construct fish passage facilities as required by its 1985 license.

FERC issued a license last week for the Upper American River Project in California consisting of seven developments on the Rubicon River, Silver Creek, and South Fork American River in El Dorado and Sacramento Counties. The license authorizes Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) to continue to operate the existing projects that have a combined capacity of 637.3 MW and to build a new project- the Iowa Hill pumped storage project which has an authorized capacity of 400 MW.